Chapter 456: The Mad Scholar

After the Lunar New Year's Eve, the calendar officially entered the fiftieth year of Taixing.

Rumors spread that the old emperor had grown increasingly deranged.

On New Year's Day during the court audience, he staged numerous absurd spectacles and displayed many indecent scenes, utterly shaming the court and disgracing the state.

The court ministers concluded that the old emperor had been bewitched by Daoists and by Jiang Tu.

A group of passionate young officials organized a raid on the Daoist temple, smashing statues and beating Daoists, causing an uproar throughout the city.

Zhao Mingqiao's style was unmistakable—Chen Guanlou recognized it at a glance.

Yu Zhaoan, that old fox, despised such crude methods; they were too violent, far beneath his aesthetic.

Other court ministers were much the same as Yu Zhaoan—they excelled at exploiting bureaucratic loopholes, not storming in like reckless youths to smash things.

But Zhao Mingqiao seemed to relish such tactics: when displeased, he went straight for the throat, venting openly, never bottling up rage to poison his own body.

He even dared kill his own master, Lu Mingchuan; there was little left in this world he wouldn't dare do. He refrained only because no opportunity had arisen. Once one did, Chen Guanlou couldn't imagine how insane Zhao Mingqiao's actions might become.

He couldn't even bear to imagine it!

He secretly visited Zhao Mingqiao once, hiding on the rafters, watching as Zhao Mingqiao, eloquent and fiery, brainwashed the group of passionate young officials and students—so much so that it had become a cult, a fanatical religion.

He overheard them plotting to storm Jiang Tu's mansion in two days; if they could kill Jiang Tu in the process, it would be perfect.

They were gambling on the principle that the law wouldn't punish the many.

He even heard his own name mentioned.

"Don't worry about prison. I'll arrange for all of you to be sent to the Heavenly Prison. The jailers in the Jia and Zi wards are old friends of mine—they'll make sure you suffer no hardship there, and you'll all be released eventually."

Chen Guanlou: …

Forget it. He wouldn't bother with Zhao Mingqiao.

Let him run wild.

If they truly ended up in the Heavenly Prison, a little care wouldn't hurt—so long as the silver was delivered.

Two days later, the passionate officials and students indeed stormed Jiang Tu's mansion.

Jiang Tu's servants fought back, but hesitantly, as if afraid to strike hard—they moved stiffly, restrained. The scuffle looked fierce, yet not a single fatal wound was inflicted.

What mattered was the spirit, the atmosphere, the posture.

These passionate officials and students were terrifyingly effective—they actually broke into Jiang Tu's mansion and smashed everything, acting with reckless abandon.

The Wucheng Garrison Command received word and rushed over, but seeing they couldn't stop it, they passed the buck to the Jingzhao Prefecture and fled under some pretext.

Jingzhao's men, overwhelmed by the chaos, saw their small frames couldn't handle it—they copied the Wucheng Garrison's move, dumped the matter onto the Embroidered Uniform Guard, then fled with a lame excuse.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard: …

Couldn't pass it on anymore!

They had no choice but to step forward and break up the madmen.

As expected, the Embroidered Uniform Guard got injured too.

The passionate officials might fear the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the passionate students feared nothing—they were determined to fight every demon and specter to the end.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard were the empire's hounds; they were meant to fight.

The scene descended into utter chaos.

In the end, it was the Right Chancellor Yu Zhaoan who intervened, calming the students' frenzy with patient words until the over-energetic youths finally dispersed.

As for Jiang's mansion losses, Jiang's household bore them alone.

Demand compensation from the passionate students?

Are you trying to get yourself killed?

Want another beating?

Even Jiang's servants, though arrogant, knew they couldn't kill a student. Killing one student was minor; the fallout would shake the entire court. Its gravity far surpassed even corruption.

At that point, Jiang Tu would be exiled even if he didn't die.

The importance of students was simply that immense.

This was why Jiang Tu preferred dealing with court ministers rather than these mad-dog students—he couldn't touch them.

Jiang Tu himself, unlucky, was struck by two stinking shoes. He wasn't hurt, but his dignity was shattered.

Furious, he smashed several more of his favorite porcelain pieces.

Truly, his luck had turned foul—he'd offended the Grand Duke of the Year.

Zhao Mingqiao had masterminded both riots, delivering a crushing humiliation to the old emperor.

Yet the old emperor couldn't retaliate.

After all, he himself had disgraced the court on New Year's Day with those indecent spectacles, shaming the state beyond repair.

The old emperor could only bide his time, but erupted in fury inside the Taiji Palace.

The imperial princes knew better than to provoke him—they all avoided him, inventing excuses to stay out of the palace.

The palace concubines also held their breath, cultivating stillness and calm. Yin-yang balance no longer mattered.

The court ministers, too, wished for a few days of peace. It was the New Year—they didn't want to work.

Let matters wait until after the holiday.

For a time, the Taiji Palace was unusually empty—no one came to pay respects, save the servants.

Qiu Defu feared the old emperor would notice this silence, signaling the servants to act busy, not stand like wooden statues.

The old emperor paced barefoot through the grand hall.

Qiu Defu kept urging him to put on shoes and socks, to preserve his health.

Though useless, he couldn't stop urging.

The old emperor tore his beloved fly-whisk into scraps, scattering its hairs across the floor.

"Your Majesty, please preserve your health. Though spring has come, the weather remains bitterly cold. If you fall ill, how will the Sacrifice to Heaven proceed?"

"My health is excellent. With the pills offered by the Jixia Academy, I've never felt lighter. I could easily live another thirty or fifty years."

Qiu Defu: …

If the imperial princes heard that, they'd be utterly despairing!

Thirty or fifty years? The ministers would surely rebel before then.

"Your Majesty's blessings rival heaven's! Your humble servant congratulates Your Majesty!"

"Those arrogant scholars must be crushed—otherwise they'll never know the dignity of the court. Summon the two Chancellors and all senior ministers to me."

"Your Majesty, it's only the fifth day of the New Year."

"I can't wait," the old emperor gritted his teeth. "Strip those arrogant scholars of their degrees—let them never set foot in government again. I want to see if those arrogant scholars still dare to be bold once stripped of their titles. Once their degrees are revoked, throw them all into prison—not one to be spared."

Qiu Defu turned pale with shock.

If this were done, it would be a cataclysmic event shaking the empire!

In peacetime, with the court's authority and the emperor's power, such a move could be suppressed, its impact minimized.

But now, wars raged in both north and south—the realm was in chaos.

If such a shocking act were committed now, all scholars across the land would turn against the court and flee to Prince Chu.

Qiu Defu dared not speak up—he feared death.

He could only hope the court ministers would intervene.

He prayed they could restrain the old emperor's madness—before the Sacrifice to Heaven, they must not stir up another uproar and invite universal condemnation.